Taike-Sye'yə mural created in remembrance of Komagata Maru

August 9 2019 –

A new mural has been unveiled today depicting the Komagata Maru Episode and the support provided to the passengers by Musqueam paddlers.

Location and significance of the mural

Located at 125 East 10th Avenue, the mural illustrates the account of the Musqueam people who canoed across Burrard Inlet to provide food to more than 300 passengers who were stranded on the Komagata Maru for 62 days when they were denied entry to Canada.

The mural has turned the exterior wall of the Harry Stevens Federal Building into a highly visible public site of remembrance. The location of the mural is particularly meaningful as Harry Stevens was one of the key politicians responsible for the decision to prevent the Komagata Maru from docking in Vancover.

Creators and partners

Created by Keerat Kaur, Alicia Point, Sandeep Johal and Cyler Sparrow-Point, it is hoped that the mural will spark dialogue regarding the promotion of cultural redress with Indigenous and South Asian communities.

The South Asian Canadian Historical Association, Indian Summer Festival, the Surrey Art Gallery, and Vancouver Mural Festival partnered on the project and local historians, storytellers and scholars advised the artists on the facts and context of the event.

Mural a part of the Vancouver Mural Festival

Vancouver Mural Festival receives funding through our Cultural Grants program and this helped support the involvement of a local Indigenous artist in the project.

The mural can be viewed as part of the Vancouver Mural Festival which takes place this weekend. Over the last four years, we have supported the festival with more than $500,000 of grants and in-kind support.

Permanent monument in Coal Harbour

A permanent monument commemorating the Komagata Maru Episode was unveiled in Coal Harbour in 2012 and updated in 2016 to include a plaque which recognizes the incident as an event of national historic significance.